Aboriginal rangers meet on NSW South Coast to merge past and present
The first Aboriginal rangers conference for the NSW South Coast was held in Mystery Bay. (Supplied: Gab Byrnes)
In short:
The first Aboriginal rangers conference for the NSW South Coast has been held in Mystery Bay.
The event brought together nine ranger groups from Wollongong to Eden.
Workshops aimed to teach rangers how to best take care of country by combining cultural knowledge from elders with new technology.
Uncle Warren Foster Senior says caring for country means adapting for the future while also using knowledge from the past.
The Yuin Djiringanj man said teaching younger generations how to use modern technology was important to help protect the land, but the new tools must be used alongside elders' knowledge.
"The elders are the ones who have the knowledge of country, and they see how much country needs that management," he said.
"I think it's really important for them to take that knowledge on because that's the way we've been doing for thousands of years.
"[But] culture is always moving forward."
Ranger groups from Local Aboriginal Land Councils along the South Coast attended the conference. (Supplied: Gab Byrnes)
Mixing the old with the new was a recurring theme at the first Aboriginal Rangers Conference to be held on the NSW South Coast.
"When we go out on country, a lot of the younger ones now are using drones to look at the land to get a different perspective on country," Uncle Warren said.
"In that way, they can see from a different angle how country needs that help.
"It is really important for them to learn all this from a cultural perspective because it gives them their identity. It shows them that they are connected to a bigger picture."
Uncle Warren Foster Senior says cultural knowledge is important for managing country. (ABC South East NSW: Jacinta Counihan)
Bringing together knowledge
The conference was organised by South East Local Land Services (LLS) and held over three days in Mystery Bay.
It brought together nine ranger groups from Local Aboriginal Land Councils along the South Coast, from Wollongong to Eden.
"This conference is about getting all these rangers together from up and down the South Coast to be able to learn off each other and motivate each other," South East LLS senior project officer Sonia Bazzacco said.
Sonia Bazzacco says the conference is about bringing ranger groups together. (ABC South East NSW: Jacinta Counihan)
Workshops focused on land management tasks including cultural mapping, weed and pest management, cultural burning, and technologies such as thermal drone surveillance.
"It's important for these Aboriginal ranger groups to be up-skilled on how to use this technology … but it is also a great way to work with elders to be able to learn both ways of managing country, knowing what's on country and how to best manage it," she said.
Embracing new technology
Ms Bazzacco said one of the workshops held at the summit was on the use of thermal drones to survey animals at night.
"A thermal drone now is a good way to be able to survey for animals at night without actually having to capture them," she said.
"That's really important for koala, greater glider, or general threatened species surveys."
Thermal drones are used to survey animals at night without the need to capture them. (Supplied: South East Local Land Services)
The rangers also learned that drones were no longer confined to the skies.
"This is a very new kind of interesting technology where people get to see what's happening in sea country, because not everyone dives," Ms Bazzacco said.
Virtual reality headsets were another feature of the conference, allowing users to explore Indigenous cultural heritage sites without being physically present.
"If people aren't able to get out and look at Aboriginal cultural heritage out on country, such as artwork, grinding grooves or scar trees, they have this opportunity now where they do that in a virtual setting," said LLS Aboriginal engagement officer Angie Kelly.
Virtual reality headsets allow users to explore Indigenous cultural heritage sites without being physically present. (Supplied: Gab Byrnes)
"The other great thing about it is that you're capturing a point in time, so if anything did happen to these sites, you've got that embedded in history and it will never disappear."
Connection to country
Bettina Ellis, who has just completed the first year of the ranger course, is a Walbunja ranger and part of the Batemans Bay Aboriginal Land Council.
She said it was her love of country that inspired her to become a ranger.
"I like being outdoors, I like my connection to the country, learning more about what's around us, and what to take care of and how to take care of our land," Ms Ellis said.
Bettina Ellis and Jade Hampson have completed the first year of the Aboriginal ranger program. (ABC South East NSW: Jacinta Counihan)
Jade Hampson, who is also part of the Walbunja rangers, echoed her thoughts.
"I wanted to learn how to properly manage the land and take care of it because if you take care of the land, the land takes care of you," she said.
Ms Ellis said she wanted to encourage more women to become rangers.
"Just get on board, we do so much cool stuff, every day is so different and it's challenging," she said.
"We do exactly the same as what the boys do, except for the women's business and men's business, but it's so fun, it's amazing."